Growing Gardener

A perfect gift for the gardener, this book covers its subject with an intensely personal flavor and is exquisitely illustrated. Despite the fact that Zabar gardens on the 21st floor of a New York City apartment building, she has a down-to-earth approach. Author of The Potted Herb, she takes us through the seasons--planning, planting, pruning, harvesting. She observes bird life in her rooftop garden in a ""diary of a nest,"" discusses roots and pots and assembling a garden library. Even winter on Zabar's rooftop has its charms. The combination of instructions, quotations, illustrations and design makes this a stunning book. (Oct.)